Sara Hall on Her New Book, Racing Boston at 43, and Her Trip to the American Record

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Sara Hall talks to Jonathan Gault ahead of her fifth Boston Marathon to discuss her new memoir, For the Love of the Grind (buy here on Amazon, here to support independent booksellers) Hall opens up about writing the book herself, her use of magic mushrooms before setting the American half marathon record, and the emotional toll of Ruth Chepngetich's positive doping test on her own career. She also talks about adoption, motherhood, training on the StairMaster as a secret weapon, and why she's still racing five marathons in six months at age 42. Hall's goal for Boston: crack the top 10.

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• For the Love of the Grind ( buy here on Amazon , here to support independent booksellers )

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• 00:00 Start

• 00:23 Introduction
• 01:09 Sara Hall on Writing Her Memoir
• 03:17 The Writing Process
• 05:56 Why Write the Book Now
• 07:56 John Ball: The Quirky Body Work Guru
• 10:10 Choosing Stanford on a Half Scholarship
• 12:46 Magic Mushrooms and the Half Marathon Record
• 17:32 Adoption, Motherhood, and Identity
• 20:21 Ruth Chepngetich and the Toll of Doping
• 24:10 The StairMaster as a Secret Weapon
• 27:15 Five Marathons in Six Months
• 29:19 Training at 9,000 Feet and Lessons From Ethiopia
• 31:09 Still Racing at 43: Longevity and the Love of the Grind
• 32:59 What Drives Sara Now and Boston Goals
• 35:36 Supporters Club and Outro

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• ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.